The 2017 deer season is winding down for me, and unless I can pull it off here in the last week or so, it's looking like I might be eating my tag this year. This has hands down been one of the toughest whitetail seasons of my life, and in another blog post, I'll detail why. But for now, I'm focused on trying to make something happen in a last ditch effort.

The last two weekends have produced some of the years best bowhunting action for me. In my last journal post, I talked all about how Kobe was harvested by another hunter, and how now I'd be much less selective in what buck I'd harvest. Throughout the fall, I've got photos of a number of mature bucks and now I thought I had a much better chance of getting it done being after any mature buck, and not one particular deer.

Its been said that all good things must come to an end. But what you don't always get to choose is how that ending plays out. When it comes to deer hunting, the final chapter of a hunt for a specific buck can either be great if you end up harvesting him, or it can be a tough pill to swallow if you don't. Unfortunately for me, I wasn't able to write the final chapter with Kobe.

This past weekend, I headed back to North Dakota for the first time since moving to give another go at hunting Kobe. I had high hopes going into the weekend, with temps plummeting down into the teens for lows, highs in the 30's, and snow in the forecast. Here's how my hunts went.

The last couple of weeks have been quite the whirlwind. I recently accepted a new job, which will move me back to Northeastern Minnesota, and I'll be living in the same area that I grew up. Yeah, things happen quick. I never saw this coming so soon, but it will be a great opportunity. I'm excited for this new venture in my life, and couldn't be more thankful.

This past weekend was by far some of my most favorite deer hunting I've ever experienced in my life. My good friend Drew was up hunting with me here in North Dakota after having an encounter with a booner opening weekend. The area in which he had the encounter has been a property that I honestly haven't spent much time hunting over the last two seasons. I've always had nice bucks on trail camera, but through having other deer to hunt, and so many properties that I try to bounce around, I've just never spent a good deal of time on this certain one.

Right now, there's one deer on my mind. If you've been following along here over the last year, you've probably come to know of a buck I call Kobe. If you don't know what buck I'm referencing, he's a buck I've been hunting since September of last year. I had three encounters with him last season, and came so close to sending an arrow through him. He survived the gun season and winter, and I've now found him back this year. He's put on probably somewhere in the realm of twenty inches from last year, and he's the buck I want to harvest this season more than any other. Here's my plan on how to make that happen.

Deer hunting is awesome - isn't it? I'm a little more jazzed than usual right now, in large part because I started checking my trail cameras this week. I think for the majority of us, every time we slide an SD card into a computer, part of us is in heaven.

The journal is officially back! And you know what that means right? Deer season is right around the corner. It's pretty crazy how quickly it's approaching, but before you know it, we'll be back in treestands hoping to shoot monster bucks. I wanted to do a quick journal to let you know what I've been up to in the last few weeks to get ready for season, and what I'll be doing over the course of the rest of the month.

Growing up where I have, turkey hunting has never been on my radar. I was never around turkeys, and didn't know anybody that hunted them. But in the last year or so, as I have gotten to know more people that hunt them, I have been told countless times I need to try it. I got to the point where I knew I wanted to give it a shot, but I didn't know how, or where to go.

Deer hunting has its fair share of ups and downs. But there is one feeling that is worse than any other. There is a bottomless pit that hurts more than anything, twisting and turning within your stomach after shooting a buck (any deer for that matter), but not being able to recover him. There can be countless questions running through your mind after a moment like this, but there is one that can keep you up at night more than any other..."Did the buck die? Will he make it?" I finally had that question answered for me this past weekend in regards to the buck I shot back in November, but wasn't able to recover.

The day had started out like all other shed hunting adventures. I had taken step after step, walked mile after mile in what seemed to be a prime area for there to be antlers laying in every direction, but I couldn't find a single one. Deer trails flooded the wooded river bottom that butted up next to a great late season food source. I felt overwhelmed, and could have walked for miles on end, never getting off of a major deer trail that ran through the hard, frozen snow.

With the 2016 now officially over, the 2017 season starts right now. I wanted to quickly go over what my mindset is right now regarding the coming season, and how I can make improvements on the coming hunting season.

It's so cliche, but it really is true. Time flies. As I sit here and start to realize my 2016 deer season is coming to a close sooner than I'd like, it's hard not to reflect on this past season, and the ups and downs that came with it. I really believe that this past hunting season was my toughest year that I've experienced, but in the same breath I can confidently say it was the best season I've ever had. How so you might ask? Throughout the rest of this journal post, my goal will be to answer that question as clearly as possible, and what this season meant to me, and ultimately what it has taught me.

Somewhere between 70-80 sits. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of hours spent scouting, shed hunting, hanging stands and trail cameras, and hunting. The amount of work that went into harvesting my first North Dakota whitetail since moving here before last hunting season is crazy, but is all worth it in the end. This past Friday, December 9th, I had quite the epic hunt, and was able to finally seal the deal on a mature buck here in North Dakota.

As I sit here and type this journal post, I can hear the wind thundering outside my bedroom window, and I look out to a completely different view than I did just a day ago. Not more than 24 hours ago where I live here in North Dakota, we didn't have a speck of snow, and now there is over ten inches on the ground, and the temperatures are plummeting, and will continue to plummet throughout the week. Winter is here, and with the conditions present, deer will be harshly snapped into that reality as well. Nothing is more important now than one thing -

Honestly, this journal post is not going to be an easy one for me to put together. This year has been one of the toughest deer seasons I have endured as far as the amount of work I have put into it dating back to last spring, compared to the number of mature buck encounters I've had. With that said, the last week or so of hunting has been pretty decent, with it producing multiple mature buck encounters, and I finally got a shot at one.

A lot has happened in the whitetail woods since checking in with the last journal post. If you've been following along with us here at WhitetailDNA, you've probably noticed a lack of content in the last week or so. Most of that is attributed to spending day after day in a tree, and if I'm not in a tree, I'm in school for bits and pieces of the day. For about the last week, there has been a serious uptick in deer movement, and I was literally minutes away from having a chance to put down what would have probably been my biggest buck to date.

Sweet November - you've been missed. November brings a magical time of the year in the whitetail woods. And let me tell you, I'll need some of that magic - bad. This month will bring the rut, and lately I've been stuck in a rut of my own.

Can you feel it? Do you get those goosebumps on your arm looking at the calendar yet? I know I sure do, because THE RUT is right around the corner. You can almost see it, it's so close. This last week has been utterly slow for me, but I have a hunch (hopefully) that it won't be long until the woods heats up with deer activity.